Union president says members acted in self-defense

July 27, 2006|By ED RONCO Tribune Staff Writer

ELKHART Â? Two union members accused of participating in a picket-line fight acted in self-defense, the unionÂ?s president said Thursday.

On Wednesday, Elkhart police broke up a fight outside Conn-SelmerÂ?s Vincent Bach plant, 500 S. Industrial Parkway, where 230 members of United Auto Workers Local 364 have been on strike since April 1.

A man told police one of the striking members reached into a car where he and five other job applicants were sitting and began choking someone inside the vehicle, according to police.

Two union members were named as suspects in the assault, said Elkhart police Sgt. Tom DeWitt. The case has been forwarded to ElkhartÂ?s city prosecutor to determine whether charges will be filed.

But UAW Local 364 president Jerry Stayton said the people in the car started the entire incident and provoked union members by threatening their lives.

The Tribune attempted to reach Stayton for a story in ThursdayÂ?s paper, but he was unavailable.

Stayton was at the scene shortly afterward, but did not witness events.

According to Stayton, someone in the car asked where to apply for a job. Words were exchanged and then the applicants got out of the car and started pushing union members, Stayton said.

Â?From what IÂ?ve heard from my people, they (the people in the car) put their hands on everybody,Â? he said.

Stayton said one of the job applicants said he was going to get a gun out and opened the trunk of the vehicle.

Â?Then they shoved one of our men,Â? Stayton said. That union member then grabbed the job applicant, Stayton said.

When the group of applicants got back into their vehicle, one of them told a union member that his dad would return and Â?blow your head off,Â? Stayton said.

Â?At that point is when they went after him in the car.Â?

The union and Conn-Selmer have been in contract negotiations for three weeks now. Stayton said he didnÂ?t think WednesdayÂ?s incident would have much effect on the discussions.